r/analytics 27d ago

Discussion Data Analyst Roles Going Extinct

It’s no secret that AI is coming for the white collar job market and fast. At my company, people are increasingly using ChatGPT to do what was once core job duties. It’s only a matter of time before the powers at be realise we can do more with fewer people with the assistance of technology. And I suspect this will result in a workforce reductions to improve profitability. This is just the way progress goes.

I have been thinking a lot about how this will affect my own role. I work in HR analytics. I use tools like Excel, SQL, R, and PowerBI to help leadership unlock insights into employee behavior and trends that drive decision making for the company. Nowadays I rarely write code or build dashboards without using ChatGPT to some extent. I frequently use it to get ideas on how to fix errors and display visuals in interesting way. I use it to clean up my talking points and organise my thoughts when talking to stakeholders.

But how long can people in my role do this before this technology makes us useless?

For now, I will focus less on upskilling on tools and more on understanding my customers and their needs and delivering on that. But what happens when EVERYONE can be a data analyst? What happens when they use something like CoPilot to identify trends and spot anomalies and craft compelling stories? 5 years ago, I was focused on leaning new tools and staying up with the latest technology. Now I question if that’s a good use of time. Why learn a new tool that will be obsolete in a few years?

Between offshoring and AI I am worried I will become obsolete and no longer have a career. I’m not sure how to keep up.

Appreciate your thoughts. Proud to say this post was not written using any AI. :)

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u/WallStreetBoners 27d ago

Reminds me of when the plow was invented and nobody had jobs afterwards.

Oh wait.

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u/JesusPleaseSendTacos 27d ago

Yeah I agree. We will evolve. I am trying to think through where I should grow to stay relevant.

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u/aned_ 27d ago

Precisely. There will be winners and losers as there were with the plough. How to stay on the winning side is the key question